Chemistry
by sarielle
Summary: The story of Jacob and an OC discovering the means of love, chemistry, lust, connections, and how the promise of forever affects us all. Set right after Eclipse, or the very first of Breaking Dawn. Rated M for content later on.
1. H20

H20

The rain pounded down on Seattle as if it were literally trying to drown the city itself. Puddles formed on the sidewalk, little bits of leaves and plastic floating the top. The people who wanted to stay dry walked around them, but I wasn't one of them. I was as wet as wet could have been, there was no use in avoiding the awaiting water, it would drench you somehow. The streets were emptying as the rain kept on pouring, the tourists and residents running for cover inside shops, while I walked on. Finally a bright yellow taxi appeared, rounding the corner down by the coffee shop. "Thank god" I muttered as I raised my left hand high in the air, flagging him down, forgetting about my now upturned unusual scar. The cab pulled over to the curb, and sprayed me with water as the liquid spun out from the tires. "Nice." I muttered, as I opened the cab door. When the apologetic glance from the driver met me, I wished my mouth had never opened. "Sorry." He apologized smiling, his face cheerful.  
I shook my head in remorse, "No I'm sorry, it's not such a great day. "  
He nodded sympathetically, "Understood." He flashed another smile. "So where you going?"  
"Does you line go as far as Forks?" I asked nervously.  
"Um, not usually, but sometimes." He nodded reassuringly. "It's fine."  
I nodded decidedly now, "Alright then. That's where I'm headed."  
I pressed a 20 dollar bill into his hand. "Oh no, He protested, this ride will only be like 15 or something."  
"Please?" I asked, "It'll clear my conscience for snapping at you."  
He laughed, and started the car. "To Forks!" He declared handing me a complementary bottle of water.  
"To forks." I said smiling, my mind full of apprehension.


	2. Life sucks and then you die

Life sucks and then you die.

Yeah, I should be so lucky.  
My first statement had come true as predicted. Life sucked. Sadly, I wasn't dead yet. I should have been, it would have been a hell of a lot easier. Death was easier than heartbreak. Death was easier than a rejection that ran this deep. Death was easier than losing your best friend that you _loved_ to your sworn enemy. Sadly, I couldn't say he was my total enemy, at this point; we sorta relied on each other. Or more, he relied on us to help keep his precious Bella safe.  
But she was half mine.  
She had loved me, and she couldn't tell me that she hadn't. But she had gone and was going to marry him. It was a matter of time, before they turned her into a bloodsucker, like the rest of them.  
My friend, My Bells, a vampire.  
I stopped the train of thought as I threw the bag of chips against the wall and heard them crack and fall to the floor.  
She wasn't mine anymore. She had chosen.  
"Hell yeah! Go Seahawks!" That was Paul screaming from the other room. "Did you see that Seth??"  
"Com' on man!" Paul groaned, finally noticing Seth could care less about the glory of NFL.

"Shut up!" I yelled from my room, which always felt too small now.  
"Sorry Jake, didn't want to interrupt your self-pity party going on in there." Paul called out, laughing at his own joke.  
My hands were shaking; all I wanted to do was phase and beat the shit out of him. I didn't though. They would then be able to hear my thoughts; then they would know I was having a self-pity fest. But hadn't I earned that right? She was still my friend, and I knew I would still die for her, even though she would die for him.

Seth walked into my room, and sat down on my bed with me. I couldn't help but growling, but I halfway regretted it when I saw his face drop.

"Sorry Seth." I mumbled, as he picked up the bag of chips on the floor, and began to sort through them. He offered the bag to me but I shoved it away.  
Seth looked at me quizzically; he knew I was always hungry. I shook my head again, and he shrugged.  
"Sam smelled something weird today." Seth told me casually. As much as I didn't want to show it, I knew my black eyes showed interest.  
"Does he have any idea what it was?" I asked despite of myself.  
Seth shook his head, and shoved a few chips into his mouth. "He thought you should tell the Cullen's though. I mean they always wanna know about anything we find."  
"Phhhhst." I snorted.  
Seth smiled at me. "I really think he just wants you to pick Billy's medicine so he doesn't have to."  
I rolled my eyes. "I'll ask Sam." I heaved myself up from the bed, and began walking out the door, but Seth called me back. "Hey Jake, can I sit in here?"  
I shrugged my enormous shoulders. "Sure I don't care."  
He shot me an appreciative look, "Thanks man, I don't give a crap about the Seahawks."  
I nodded and walked out the door, ignoring the scene of Quill and Paul on the couch, arguing over teams, and fighting for the bowl of popcorn. I popped Paul on the head, and instantly felt a wonderful pang of happiness when the popcorn bowl overturned and spilled all over him. "Dammit Jake!" He exclaimed his eyes not leaving the display of manliness that had him glued to the TV screen. I strode out the door, and found Sam and Emily outside. "So you really smelled something?" I asked immediately, cutting to the chase.  
"Yes I did." Sam replied. "But nothing threatening that I can tell, just new and different."  
I eyed him. "Alright I gotcha 'new and different'"  
Sam looked at me with approval, "Just let them know, tell them it's towards the border on their side."  
I started towards my car, but he tossed me the keys to his. "And get Billy's medicine while you're there."  
Suddenly I remembered, Carlisle was only to be found at the hospital, and now Edward worked with him, learning from his father. As I got in the car, I sped down the little winding road that lead out of the reservation, I backed off the gas once I hit 80; knowing Sam would kill me if anything happened to his car. It was now a question of who I wanted to see more, Dr. Cullen or Dr. Cullen?  
I laughed to myself, but then stopped, it really wasn't that funny. I didn't care who I told, it would be whoever was available. I pulled up to the hospital parking deck, which could have been some sorta of fun maze had I been in the mood. Unfortunately, I was _not_ in the mood.  
The signs that told me 'reserved parking' 'outpatient parking', 'same day surgery only parking' and 'no exit', annoyed the hell out of me. Unable to find a place I could park without being rerouted to yet another; I parked in spot number 259, or 'reserved doctors parking.' I laughed to myself again, maybe I'd get Sam's car towed. I walked in the hospital, and immediately I felt myself tense. The floors were squeaky clean, uniformed people walked up and down briskly, it was so stiff. I felt suffocated. Everyone who looked at you was scrutinizing you, wondering what was wrong with you to be in this place. I shuddered and kept walking to the front desk, where a blonde receptionist lady sat, obviously staring at me as I approached.  
"You'll need to register, and then go to triage." She told me, not looking at my face. Her voice was breathy, annoying.  
"No uhh. I'm not admitting myself; I'm just here to see someone."  
She smiled at me and I watched as her French tip fingernails pressed upon the keys of her computer, "Who?"  
"Doctor Cullen." I said, hoping that not too much bitterness slipped through.  
Her smile broadened, she obviously knew of the handsome bloodsucker. "I'll page him." She breathed with a little spark of delight.  
I nodded, and turned from her, just in time to see a tiny little figure sweep through the door. I could recognize the stench anywhere, plus her spiky black hair stood out too. It was Alice.

I saw her nose crinkle, and she looked around until her eyes spotted me. She walked to me, and whispered 'act normal' in my ear.  
After an awkward embrace, she pulled me towards the sliding door that led to the real inside of the hospital. "Here to see Carlisle?" She asked, as she walked through the doors, she obviously had some VIP access. I nodded. "Sam said he smelled something weird."  
She said nothing, and when I turned back to her Alice's eyes blanked out, and she stared off into space. I should have been used to it by now, but it always creeped me out. "Alice." I nudged her, but she pushed me away, still trying to see. Finally her body shuddered, and she blinked a few times, and began walking down the hall. "Weird!" She muttered to herself.  
"What?" I asked, somewhat curiously.  
"Car crash." She mumbled. "Someone crashed, a young guy and a girl-"  
I shrugged. "That's it?"  
She looked concerned. "I've learned to block out stuff like that, that isn't important, not sure why this one slipped by me. "  
I could offer her no explanation, I didn't understand any better than she did.  
Her eyes went out of focus again and I rolled my own. "What now?" I asked almost impatient, people got in crashes all the time.  
"It's not that bad." Her voice was distant, and her eyes still stared off into oblivion. "The girl broke her wrist, and needs stitches. The guy-" She shuddered again, her voice nervous. "I can't see either of them clearly." I looked at her in amazement, sight to us, was complete blindness to her. She was obviously uncomfortable when the future eluded her, it was like being blind. "Alice, it's no biggie." I began in a sympathetic way, it was almost painful to see her in distress, she was tiny, helpless looking. She nodded, and then began to look around; noticing people in the hall station had stopped to stare at her. I glared at them, and led her away, to a less populated part of the hall. Her small frame sagged, "I can't believe I was so obvious."  
"No Alice." I began. "I think they were just-"  
She cut me off with a smile flashing her teeth. "You were taking me to neurology right? Chronic Seizures?" She joked, letting her eyes roll back into her head. I laughed; of all the Cullen's I liked her best.  
"Yeah, seizures. Oh did I mention she's also truly physic and a vampire?"  
She laughed a ringing melodious sound. "And I'm taking you in for steroid abuse." She winked, and I chuckled. I'm sure I looked like I dosed, majorly. "Oh damn. " She whispered, "Edward and Carlisle are leaving in exactly, 9.8 seconds."  
I snorted, "Well I'll tell you-"  
Alice held up a tiny chilly hand, and I had to stop talking. "But they'll be back right after 'lunch'." She had emphasized the word lunch, although I knew Edward and Carlisle didn't eat. They would probably just be taking a small break of some kind, if nothing more but for the sake of looking normal.  
I rolled my eyes at her, "So what should I do?" I asked. "What does the future hold for me?"  
She giggled, and danced down the hall. "You know I can't see you Jacob Black!"  
I ran after her, she was in weird sorta way pleasant company, compared to Paul and all the guys that had to crash my house. "How's Bella?" I asked, as over took her skip in less than a stride of my own. Alice turned to look at me as if she wondered how I could handle asking this question. "She's good, doing really well." Alice was vague, but I didn't ask for details, I didn't want them. "She's happy?" I questioned knowing the answer would only hurt me. Alice nodded. "She truly is Jacob." I knew she was happy. Happy like most of the other people I knew. Quill couldn't go a day without being with his tiny Claire. Jared was completely infatuated with his doe eyed girl. I didn't even know her name, honestly, she bored me. My mind wandered and I started thinking about all the people I knew that were happy. They were happy because they had found their other half. Obviously, Bella and Edward were in euphoria. Alice and Jasper complimented each other nicely, and it was obvious that their love ran deep. Emmett and Rosalie, well, you couldn't have set two people up better, the super model, with the super man. As if she had read my thoughts, which was impossible, Alice looked me in the eye, "But she loves you too Jacob. You are her best friend."  
I had heard that one enough. "C'mon Alice, you of all people, don't buy that right?"  
She stared off into space, and all I could think of was _seriously, not again_.  
"I do believe that." She shrugged, "It's your choice though."  
I sighed, as the noisy PA crackled overhead calling some various doctor to some sorta of O.R.  
I opened my mouth to speak, but the wailing of an ambulance siren stopped me. Suddenly there was a burst of explosion and stretchers and people came running in, shouting to each other in terms that didn't even sound like English. As I glanced around uneasily, Alice looked at me sympathetically, she knew this was like my own personal version of hell. "They're back." She announced nonchalantly. Her eyes didn't even go out of focus for this next prediction. "The car crash, I was telling you about, they are working on those people now. Let's give them a few more minutes; I don't recall this needed much time."  
The loudspeaker crackled again. " to the O.R." I could tell it was the breathy blond, I wondered if she'd slip a giggle in on the next page. "Dr. Cullen to the O.R."  
"Damn." I muttered, I had hoped it she would have embarrassed herself, however, she had remained somewhat professional.  
Alice noticed my expression and smiled. "That's Eliza." She pointed up toward the ceiling, as another page went out. "She's rather worshiped."  
I raised a dark eyebrow. "Who? Actually, a better question is why."  
Alice laughed merrily, I could tell she enjoyed Eliza. "By men."  
I blinked. I didn't think she was pretty at all.  
Alice cleared her throat and corrected herself. "Or they did, until Rosalie showed up."  
I couldn't resist a chuckle, I could see Eliza, bleached hair, tan as could be, French tips, being confronted by Rosalie, who was obviously a hundred thousand times more beautiful. "Bitch fight!" I exclaimed to Alice excitedly, my eyes lighting up.  
She laughed at my reaction, "Yeah, you pretty much summed it up. I mean she hated Rosalie… not that I wouldn't if she wasn't my sister." Alice paused laughing. "She also hates her, because she thinks that she's dating Edward." I punched Alice in the shoulder, gently. "That is good, even for someone who smells as bad as you!"  
She looked at the ground her expression almost embarrassed. "We just can't tell her that we're family, it's far too amusing."  
"I'd be interested in seeing that, a bitchass blonde fight. "  
Alice rolled her eyes. "Bring Quill and Embrey."  
"I will, only of course because it'll cost them 20 bucks to see this thing."  
Unexpectedly, as if she were being pulled, began walking down the hall, and I was forced to jo to cath up with her.  
"Hey, physic, I don't know what's going on here." She stopped and smiled back at me. "Oh yeah, Edwards in room 286. You can go see him in there, the patient's totally out." It was my turn to shake my head. I had no idea how she was used to knowing things like this. She led me down the hall, and peeked into a room, I checked the number, and she was right, 286. "You've got company Edward." She giggled, and then danced out the door, patting me on the shoulder.


	3. Unexpected much?

I guess unexpected things always come when you least expect them

I cleared my throat as I entered the small room, Edward was standing, and obviously he knew I was here.  
He had successfully read my thoughts; I could now just walk out of the room and go home.  
He laughed at that, and gestured for me to sit down.  
"Jacob, good to see you again. " His voice was smooth, and polite.  
"Yeah you too." I scuffed my shoes against the floor, and bounced my knee up and down. I couldn't stop staring and the suturing kit that Edward was using, threading this girl's skin together. It wasn't that it grossed me out, it just looked weird, especially since Edward was doing it and not Carlisle.  
Edward paused, in mid-string, "Yeah it's like knitting." He answered chuckling, "But she's fine." I nodded; I hoped the human wasn't hurting.  
He had heard that too.  
"She's out completely dosed up." He told me assuredly.  
Suddenly, the girl stirred and then woke, her eyes flashing to the thread in her arm.  
"Or not…" I head Edward mutter nervously under his breath. I couldn't help but laugh, it was horrible, I knew, but the perfect vampire had been proven wrong. Anxiously Edwards golden eyes flashed to the girls face searching for signs of discomfort, when he was sure that there were none, he addressed her slowly. "Arlyn, I'm , your cab driver had a wreck, but you should be fine, you're in Forks right now."  
"I knew that." She groaned, trying to hold her arm, her voice almost annoyed; as if he had no right to question her consciousness and sanity.  
"Just making sure you understood the situation." Edward said calmly smiling, breezing over her abrasive attitude.  
She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised, "Well if I'm Arlyn, and you're Dr. Cullen, and Denny is in another room, well then who's he?" Arlyn asked amusedly, as she motioned to the other side of the bed, where I stood awkwardly, watching this conversation between Edward and this girl.  
"Arlyn" Edward began again, as if he felt the need to remind her of her name, "This is my good friend Jacob Black."  
I would have thought about how we weren't really very good friends, or how Edward was possibly lying through his teeth, but then a pair of blue eyes fixed a gaze on me.

For a few seconds, maybe they were minutes; I didn't know who I was.  
All I knew was SHE was right in front of me.  
It was HER.  
Gravity, all those physics laws, the dimensions, they didn't keep me on the ground anymore. She did.  
I didn't exist because I was simply alive anymore, I existed because of her.,  
And she had no idea.  
She.  
Arlyn, I said to myself tasting the name in my mind.  
She was pretty, she had dark red hair, and deep striking blue eyes.  
Her skin was like Bella's but not quite so pale.  
She was perfect.  
Beautiful.

Edward heard all of my thoughts, and he looked at me, the look said "calm down hotshot."  
I nodded to him, acknowledging the fact that I had gone insane.

" Nice to meet you Arlyn." I breathed, hoping she would speak back. She gave me a small smile, that almost made my knees buckle.  
"You too uhhh, Jacob."  
I wanted to jump for joy. She had spoken to me, in that sweet and now raspy voice, she had spoken to me.  
When she turned to ask Edward how long we'd known each other I silently stuck a little punch in the air.  
Edward chuckled. "Our families have known each other forquite a while. I met Jacob a long time ago."  
Edward looked at Arlyn intently, "I need to keep stitching, is it OK if Jacob stays to talk to me for a while?" Arlyn nodded, and lay back on the pillows, not looking at the skin on her arm.  
My first instinct was to run to her, to try to help her, to ease her pain, but I couldn't. I could only watch for now. I now realized I owed Edward possibly everything I had for he had made an excuse for me to be here. According to him, we were friends.  
"Well that's nice." She commented absentmindedly, still avidly avoiding looking at Edward and the stitching. I move closer to her gliding to the bedside on a small rolling chair.  
Impulse, I couldn't help it.  
"So did you just move here?" I asked innocently enough. She seemed happy to have me close enough to make eye contact; I was a distraction from the needle threading through her skin. "Sorta. Family stuff." She answered vaguely. Edward shot her a glance, and his work ceased, his hands stopped, and he almost froze. She didn't seem to notice though, she was happily chattering away to me about how pretty the land was, and how there had been all the gorgeous forests as they were driving in. I nodded and smiled, still wondering what the exchange between her and Edward was. Her bright blue eyes met mine, and I felt warm again, glowing, smoldering. "So you live around here?" She asked.  
"Yeah ." I replied, shooting her one of my signature grins, I knew it was charming. "Over in La Push."  
Her eyes didn't register, and I clarified myself. "It's like a reservation, for the Quileute Tribe."  
Her mouth opened and upturned into a big smile.  
"Ohh, so you are Native American." She affirmed under her breath.  
I laughed and threw in a wink. "Yeah, I am. Pretty normal though, celebrate Christmas and everything." She shook her head violently, "Oh no! That's not what I meant at all uhh- Ja-"  
"Jacob." I said assuring.  
"Yeah, I really wasn't trying to say anything like that. " Her perfect pale face hinted pink as her eyes lowered to my arm. "You- you just have pretty skin."  
I felt like, I don't know, singing or something.  
She liked my skin.  
That was a start wasn't it?  
_Cool it Jake_, I told myself sharply. _Stay cool. How many times have you done this?_ Honestly, I had been around girls, and I was good with the ladies, but this wasn't just a girl, this was my girl. The girl I was made for.  
This was my soulmate. She was the reason I was here in this world, so I had a right to be nervous.

"Thanks." I grinned again. "You can uhh touch it if ya want."  
Edward rolled his eyes. He'd obviously used different flirtation tactics with Bella.  
She eyed my arm for a moment, before reaching out a fair hand and grazing her fingers up my arm, her blue eyes looking innocently into mine. She then sarcastically feigned amazement. "Oh wow. A real live Indian!" She exclaimed jokingly. I couldn't help but chuckle, and Edward laughed too, incorporating his own meaning into the sarcasm.  
"So what grade are you in?" She asked me as Edward pulled the final threads together on her arm.  
"I'm a junior." I said almost embarrassedly, I had no idea how old Arlyn was. She nodded and pointed to a pile of text books that lay beside the small couch.  
"Senior." She laughed as I looked curiously at the books.  
"Senior and all your taking is Chemistry?" I managed to ask, overwhelmed by how much I didn't know about the subject.  
She shook her head, "I'm pretty certain it's gonna be my college major." She grinned sheepishly, "you could say I'm uhh, getting ahead."  
I opened a book and read a passage, "The chemical substance that composes of hydrochloric acid can be easily made up of-" Before I had finished she cut me off. "Easy one, it's water and a solution, not a mixture, a solution of hydrogen and chloride in water."  
Edward smirked, "When are you taking chemistry Jake?"  
"This year." I droned, shaking my head. "I'm not looking forward to it."  
From the bed, Arlyn stuck out her bottom lip, and even though she was joking, it still tugged at my heart. Her funny expression soon changed into a smile. "It's ok, it's really not that bad."  
Edward shot away from the bed on his rolling stool and began scribbling furiously on her chart. She sighed and laid further back, her eyes focusing on the ceiling. "So when are you letting me out Dr. Cullen Junior?" Arlyn asked jokingly , but I could see she was as uncomfortable here as I was.  
Edward smiled dazzlingly at her, and I swear I would have growled, but I owed him my life now. "Not too much longer. I might need to stitch some more later, I want to give all these small cuts a chance to heal by themselves first. I hope that first thing in the morning an ortho guy can come down, and fix you with a cast in the morning. The break isn't that that bad, so we'll brace it and wait for him. "  
She grimaced as he laid his hand on the brace. "And I'll order you another round of Morphine in about an hour." She nodded gratefully.  
Edward headed for the door. "Is there anyone I can call Arlyn?" She shook her head no.  
"Thanks anyways. Oh wait! How's Denny?"  
Edward smiled. "He's doing fine. They've got him all sewn up and he's going on observation for a concussion. He's about to talk everyone's ears off though."  
My hands clenched, tight around her chemistry book, gripping as if to hold on to control. Tell me I hadn't picked a married girl!  
That would take sucking to an entirely new dimension.  
Edward saw and quickly shook his head at me. "Denny's gonna be fine, however the taxi he was driving is totaled."  
I let go of my death grip on her book, and wondered what I should do, Edward had just left me here.  
She didn't seem to mind though. She looked over at me and thrust her hand towards the door. "Not trying to make you my personal slave or anything, but while you're here would you mind getting me some water?"  
"Sure sure." I uttered, as I picked up a cup and walked out to the water cooler. I handed it to her and felt our fingertips brush, the sensation electrified me.  
"Thank you so much." She proclaimed, as she lifted the cup to her lips, then sat it back down on the table.  
"Can I get you anything else?" I offered, feeling totally helpless.  
"No but thanks." She whispered, her voice giving out from the pain.  
"Are you sure? I can go get someone to drug you back up?"  
She shook her head, a tired smile spreading across her face. "Nah, I'm alright. Trust me this place is like a soap opera, I don't wanna miss too much."  
I chuckled, and raised an eyebrow, "You mean like Grey's Anatomy? Where they are all hopelessly desperate, and screw each other in the closets?"  
I could see the smile spread to her eyes this time, as she laughed. "It's possible, but no, I mean like, gossip wise. Some things are very entertaining. "  
I leaned closer to her sweet face, and smelled her all around me. "So tell me!" I exclaimed teasingly.  
She leaned back further on the pillows, now that I was closer to her. Her voice was now in a sultry whisper as her eyes sparkled, delighting in this memory. "So there's this girl, blonde, she's got the French tip deal going on."  
"Kelly?" I offered.  
She shrugged. " I don't know, works the front desk."  
I remained to keep a straight face. "Yeah that's Kelly."  
"Anyways." She began again pointedly, "Kelly had to page , for this woman, Rosalie Hale, who is apparently Edward's sister. But Kelly was a total genius, and told Edward Cullen was needed at the front because his wife was there. "  
I only shook my head, feeling my black hair flop around. I knew where this was going.  
"So Edward comes out all ready to see Bella, who is his real wife/fiancé, and it's this Rosalie chick, so Edward was pissed, but he brought Rosalie back to see Carlisle, but then like 10 minutes later, a page came on again, for "Rosalie Hale". It ended up her husband was there, his name is like Jasper or something. So she told Edward bye and when he was gone, she went with Jasper. So now, Kelly thinks that Rosalie is cheating on Edward with Jasper."  
I held my side it hurt with laughter. I couldn't believe how well the Cullen's had this place worked, even if it was only sometimes for the fun of stirring up drama.  
"That's pretty great Arlyn! Thanks for that."  
She nodded, her eyes glowing. "No problem. I'll hook you up again next time I hear anything."  
"Yeah you'd better tell me first!"  
There was no reply from Arlyn. I looked down at her, and somehow she was out, totally asleep, her red hair brilliant against the white of the pillow cases. I dared to reach out and comb through it with my fingers, it was soft but strong. I smiled. Maybe she was like that too. I didn't know, but I wanted to. I don't know how long I sat there; staring down at the woman I idiotically called 'my girl.' I played with her hair and thought about what the pack would say. "Nice job Jake, way to go imprinting on some girl you never will see again."  
But they were wrong. I would see her again, and I would be whatever Arlyn needed me to be, wasn't that love as well?  
As I stared down at her, my eyes grew heavy, but my mind whirred and clicked like the stupid old computer that sat in my room. My thoughts were happy though, just being with Arlyn calmed me, in a weird exhilarating way.  
Before I knew it blackness crept over me.


	4. Awake? Or still dreaming?

Awake? Or still dreaming?  
When I woke I was utterly confused.  
Why was I in hospital?  
Tell me I hadn't I wrecked Sam's car…  
My thoughts were hazy, but when I looked around a pair of bright blue eyes caught my attention. I instantly knew where I was and why I was here.  
Biting her lip, Arlyn looked up at a clock that hung on the wall, counted, and turned back to me. "It's official; you've been out for 3 hours."  
"No way! I fell asleep like 10 minutes ago." It killed me to think I had wasted 3 hours with Arlyn, asleep. I rolled over in the slid-y chair back to her. Her voice was light yet cynical. "I bet the station nurse you'd be out for 3." I smiled amused; she was already placing money on me.  
"You win?"  
"I did." She stated proudly. "She bet like 1 1/2. I knew you'd sleep longer, you seemed tired."  
I looked her up and down. "I was. But how are you? "  
She sighed. "I'm ok."  
I rolled my hand around in a circular motion, prompting her to elaborate. "So you're perfectly fine?"  
She nodded picking up the remote with her good hand. "Perfectly."  
I came closer to her in my chair and leaned over the bed railing. "I really don't buy that."  
She flipped through a few channels, settling on the post game show for the Seahawks. "And why not?" She asked casually, not looking at me, while she put the sound on mute.  
"Your eyes are tired, your don't have any color in your face, and you keep looking down at your arm. " She cut me a glance from the side, letting her eyes drift from the TV. "And you're far too observant for someone whose only known me for a few hours."  
"I'm sorry." I apologized quickly, not feeling any remorse whatsoever. Her lips curled upward, and a glint of perfectly white teeth showed through them.  
"Stalker! " She declared, pointing a finger at me, and then dropping it, her shoulders heaving with laughter. _Oh she had no idea_, I thought to myself. I smiled cockily; I could feel my eyes burning with her in my sights. "How am I am the stalker, when you are the one who watches people sleep for hours?"  
She threw the remote at me, and laughed hard, as it hit me in the head.  
She had good aim.  
"Nice catch." She complimented, as I picked up the remote from the floor.  
"Good throw! I mean, right for the jugular there!" She sighed, and leaned further back into the pillows.  
"The Seahawks won." She commented, throwing her hand toward the TV, as if to show me.  
"Paul's happy then." I muttered.  
She raised an eyebrow, and I corrected myself. "He's my brother." It was halfway true.  
She smiled at that and nodded. "Are you close?"  
"Yeah." I answered . "We fight all the time, but it's all good. You got brothers?"  
She shook her head, sadly almost. "A sister, I don't know her though."  
I looked down at her curiously. "You just-"  
She looked me in the eye, finality showing in her expression. "I don't know her. I live in Seattle."  
I understood. She didn't want to talk about this sibling. Her face twisted up, showing pain. Instantly I found myself babbling, asking what I could do, trying to help. She pushed me back though.  
"I'm fine." She insisted. "Just the morphine's wearing off."  
"I'll get someone to get you some more." I muttered as I ran for the door. I could hear her tell me to come back. I didn't listen though.  
I walked up to the nurses' station, and found that I was ignored for few moments, the one in the all pink outfit apparently had some very juicy details about Mark and Cindy in internal medicine. I cleared my throat, and finally one turned to look at me. "Can I help you?" She asked, still flipping through someone's file. "Yeah, uh, the girl in room 286 needs some painkillers." She nodded, followed me into Arlyn's room. She was still watching the post game rundown on CBS. "I can't believe that Julius Peppers didn't get called for unnecessary roughness, on this play! " She protested as I came back in, not noticing the nurse that followed me. "I mean seriously, the man's straight up beast, but that-"  
She saw the nurse, and instantly was quiet, frowning.  
The nurse read papers and charts, analyzed a few various computer screens around Arlyn's bed, before picking up a syringe. "She ok right?" I asked nervously.  
Arlyn shot me a disapproving look. "Of course I'm ok."  
The nurse shot the syringe down into an IV, and Arlyn cringed, reaching for the railing and gripping it tightly. I offered her my hand, but chose the rail over me, squeezing as she closed her eyes.  
Finally the nurse put the syringe away. "Yep, needed that didn't ya?"  
She nodded, and turned the sound back up on her football show/  
"I'll be back in a few hours." The nurse smiled at us and then left.  
It was silent for a few moments, while Arlyn rearranged her pillows. "She always messes them up." She stated, her voice tired, as if lifting the pillows hurt.  
I picked up a pillow, "Where do you want it?"  
She grinned sheepishly. "This one goes here." She said pointing at a spot on the bed. When she had all the pillows arranged perfectly, I sat back down, and heard my stomach growl. _Smooth_ I told myself, mentally banging my head against a wall. She motioned out the door, "The cafeteria's down the hall. It's not that bad, you should get something to eat."  
I shook my head, "Not Hungry." I casually lied. I wouldn't leave her.  
She glared up at me, her red hair in her face. "You're a really bad liar, never had much practice?"  
I threw my hands up in the air. "Yeah, tell me about it."  
I looked outside, and noticed it was dark. I should be going home.  
"I should go." I whispered, as I pushed myself up from the chair.  
She nodded. "Your family will be wondering where you are."  
I smiled. "They probably will. But they'd understand."  
She looked curiously up at me, her eyes glowing. "Would they?"  
"Yeah, they would. They're all pretty chill."  
"Well, I'll see you around then. I'm sure you stop by here enough?"  
I could my face exploding into a smile. "All the time." I promised quickly, as I waved goodbye and walked out the door.  
She thought I was a bad liar, yet she hadn't called me on that lie.

I flew down the road, totally exhilarated.  
I had found the girl.  
I didn't have to hurt anymore.  
I promised myself I would be the best thing that ever happened to Arlyn- I then remembered how little I knew about her, including her last name.  
The trees whipped by me, the wind rushing in through the open window and I wondered how soon it would be until she sat with me in the now empty passenger seat.

When I finally pulled up to the house, Sam was waiting inside, holding Emily on the couch. I cleared my throat, the moment felt awkward. I wondered if one day I would hold Arlyn like that, I wondered if she would ever fall in love with me, as I had with her.

Sam barely noticed me, only sticking out his hand for the keys, as he continued to kiss Emily. I dropped the keys into his awaiting hand, muttering something like "get a room." Sam growled, but continued, and I continued down the hall to my room.  
Seth was on my bed, totally asleep. Out.

He looked like he'd been scouting all day. I wondered where his evil sister was, probably out still in wolf form. She was far more comfortable that way. It was her that had told me, once I imprinted, I wouldn't hurt over Bella. It was true, I wasn't hurting anymore. But I was filled with a new type of worry, the worry that Arlyn wouldn't love me. It wasn't like Quil and Claire, he had years to get to know her, to be her best friend. There was no pressure for them, it would happen naturally. But me, I don't know, I felt it was late. The pressure was on for us. I couldn't just ask the girl out and then for her to marry me. That sorta goes over wrong everywhere. But this was the age when Quil and Claire would fall in love, now is when Jared and whatever her name is, fall in love. It was now for me, and I thought I was hopelessly late.  
Shaking my head, I told myself not to worry about it. That wouldn't solve anything at all. _Live in the moment Jake_ I told myself. _You found her, and you already love her enough to be whatever she needs you too, no matter what you want._ My mind kept racing back and forth through endless possibilities. _What if she leaves and never comes back? What If I can only call her? What if she's dating a guy? What if she dies tonight in the hospital?_ Seth woke and he must have seen my face, as his eyes were the size of saucers. "Jake what the hell is up with you?"  
I tried smiling at him. "You really wanna know?"  
Seth looked around the room, as if expecting something else to happen. "Uhh sure?"  
"Tomorrow?" I pleaded. "I've gotta go bed."  
He rolled his eyes at me as he ran his hand through his black hair. "Bed? I'm gonna go patrol or something!"  
It was tempting, the running, letting the worrisome thoughts fly behind me. They couldn't keep up with me and my speed. At the same time though, Arlyn had been right; I was so tired.  
Seth got up off the bed. "Well I'm out! You running or sleeping?"  
I couldn't help it, I wanted to run, escape the thoughts that things wouldn't work out. "Running." I grumbled, as I flew past him out the door.  
Once we were safely outside, away from any passing car's headlights, a let the warmth spread over my entire body and I phased, Seth was only a few paces behind me. As we ran through the blacked woods, Seth didn't speak for several minutes. I knew he was seeing Arlyn in my mind.  
He stopped running, and I did too, I knew what he was gonna ask. "You imprinted?" He asked almost shocked. "That's pretty amazing Jake."  
We weren't like vampires; we can't read each other complete minds, only our thoughts. So we had to go over stories to smooth them out.  
"Yeah, it's great." I said absentmindedly, thinking about Arlyn, thinking about our forever.  
"You sound real convinced." Seth pointed out as he started jogging up a hill.  
"So she lives in Seattle, and I don't know how that's gonna work."  
Seth shrugged. "Stuff like this works itself out."  
"What am I gonna say? Well when you leave the hospital I'll come visit you, drive 150 miles to see the girl I'd known for 3 days."  
Seth looked at me confusedly. "She's in the hospital?"  
I nodded. "She got in a wreck coming down here, broke her wrist."  
Seth stared at me, as if he was going to find the answer to my problem. "So why'd she come down here? Maybe she's staying?"  
I shook my head. She had vigorously reminded me that she lived in Seattle.  
Seth read the thought, and nodded. "Just enjoy the time you have with her Jake. That's all the advice I can give you."  
I shook my head, wondering whether to be overjoyed, or to be totally discouraged.  
Seth rolled his eyes at me. "Come on Jake, be happy. For once, let yourself be happy."  
I shot him a disgusted look. "You sound like a-"  
He cut me off. "And you're some pathetic, helpless, little, angry, brooding teenager!"  
I snarled, and put him on the ground, but he continued. "Jake you were one of the most happy, outgoing and radiant people I knew. You've got to get over Bella, you can't be afraid anymore Jake."

I knew he was right. I had hit rock bottom with Bella, I couldn't go any worse. He wanted me to be happy. He wanted me to be happy I had imprinted. Happy that my soulmate had been found. But didn't he understand that she'd leave? Didn't he understand I couldn't tell her what we were yet? Didn't he understand that a relationship takes time? That she would take time?  
But at the same time, maybe she would stay, maybe things would happen the way they were supposed to, if only we had time.  
But time was not up to me, but up to her. It was up to Arlyn, who had no idea, no idea what she meant me. No Idea what I meant to her.  
This whole thing was a circle. A vicious damn circle. A twisted screwed up way to fall in love.  
Set was right though, I should be happy, spend as much time as I could with her, do what I could.  
Seth nodded at me; I knew he now understood everything. With a thrust of my head toward the south, I released my hold on his neck, and we both picked up the pace and set off in a dead run for home.

I woke up very late. 2:00 to be exact. I threw myself out of bed, changed into some old jeans, that only had a few rips and tears from the garage, and some random t-shirt. I sat down at the kitchen table, and Leah was also sitting there, reading a book. I almost blinked at her, it was so weird seeing her in human form. She lived out as much as she could, she hated being human. When she finished the last of her reading, she set the book down and looked at me in an amused way as I shoved a piece of cold pizza in my mouth.  
She kept on staring, as if she was Alice or something, reading the future and crap.  
Finally it got to me, and with my mouth full of pizza I glared at her. "What?" I mumbled annoyed, my speech significantly hindered by the pizza.  
Leah sighed, "Well is she pretty?"

Instantly I knew who she was talking about. Arlyn. The name was like a sweet taste in my mouth.  
I nodded. "She is pretty, more like beautiful though. She's got this hair; it's a dark rusty red, and these blue eyes."  
Leah rolled her eyes. "Love sick dog." She muttered.  
I snarled, and got up from the table.  
"Well where are you going?" She asked, picking up the book. I knew she knew.  
I didn't answer as I strode out to my Rabbit and climbed in.


End file.
